Dreamcatcher
Auto-translated
Evgeny, Invis:
That is exactly why I want to talk about better/worse, because that hasn't been addressed. And it is a very important point. The premise that amateurs play SoD while professionals play TE is inherently wrong. Take two of the most famous SoD resources, and we see how great the skill of SoD players who approach the game professionally is. It is a different matter that TE was created specifically for professionals — that is a fact. But not all professionals appreciated TE, and in my opinion, one of the reasons is the aggressive implementation of TE. Relying on the "lamerism" of SoD players. At least, that's how it was here in my presence when the army of Bay-ists and Portal-ists began to actively participate in the forum. I was also at a meeting with players from Michurinsk-Tambov and heard a story that TE had already been implemented there, and many pros had the chance to evaluate it in action. But something didn't click. Apparently, they didn't like it again. But I have never encountered specific, reasoned conclusions as to why TE is worse anywhere.
Therefore, I want to move away, if possible, from subjective assessments of like/dislike, because in my humble opinion, it is more useful to choose a game based on objective assessments of better/worse.
I will break it down by the most obvious differences.
1) The second level of troops is built at the start, and the starting hero has three stacks of troops. The problem of a weak start is solved. Now weak and medium blocks can be breached because a strike stack is guaranteed. Even Pikemen and Lorelei, arriving with three stacks of special troops, don't look so doomed. Fewer rests or losses. Moreover, mastering a heavy respawn is no longer as tedious a task as it was in SoD with a Valeska without archers. Is this good or bad?
2) The building tree and construction costs in some castles have been changed. Cyclopes have returned to the game; building Mages and Liches is not as nerve-wracking an endeavor as it often was in SoD. Necromancy has been cut — the selectable starting hero has returned, usually Galtran. An excellent alternative to Shakti. Upgraded vampires have returned. A new strong hero has appeared for the Barbarian — Tiraxor, who receives an upgraded strike stack of wolves on the first day. A third hero capable of breaking a minimum consu on the first day. Good or bad?
3) The ability to disable native secondary skills — any comments?
4) A bank that allows you to borrow a missing unit of some resource or money before a decisive battle. In the first case, it saves you from a force majeure collapse; in the second, you can mobilize your army at the right moment, for example, before taking Utopia or the FB. Good or bad?
5) Reworking of the Mage Guild. Less hassle in searching for the required spells. As a rule, in FB both heroes have all the necessary lower-level spells.
6) Individual experience for the hero's troops. A very useful feature when you give your army to a noob to repel a medusa nest or even a conserve. Remember, were there unnecessary losses of a good army due to noobs? Now, with a leveled-up army, even a noob fights neutrals at a decent level.
7) Moving spells between floors and schools. The main stumbling block. As a rule, whenever TE is criticized, this exact point is mentioned. But the solution is fair; the schools are more balanced. Now Water and Fire, as the rarest leveling schools, increase in value due to DD and TP. As for Slow being on the second floor, it's not a problem; that floor is often built in the second week.
8) The army exchange button — I mean, how much more can we talk about it :D
9) A reserve 8th stack for tactician heroes. Now you don't have to drag a lackey behind him, giving him shooters before taking Utopia or a hive. The main thing is, when losing/transferring, don't forget about this backup squad!
10) The ability to disable neutral morale or an upgraded stack. Reduces the risk of losing in a "on the edge" battle. Chess-like calculation rules!
11) Hero classes. Some unpopular skills have returned to the game, which, in a certain combination, give the hero additional bonuses. Personally, I didn't feel a noticeable improvement in the game from this, so whether it's good or bad — I don't know. Probably good.
In other words, the common thread is the specific tuning of TE for human-vs-human play. The only argument against that I find myself is that neutrals have been turned into a formality. I agree that a player who can manage dangerous situations with morale is a skilled master. This mastery is much less required in TE. But again, this fits the idea of fighting a human, for why spend strength and nerves fighting a respawn if the main opponent is a human. Moreover, if there is a desire to play not only against a human, there is 8mm6 and bots that get stronger every day, specifically to complicate the situation. That's cooler than morale in a dwarf nest. Those wanting a thrill can play exactly in this mode.
And finally, a summary — TE is an evolving game, which means the skill of playing can grow along with the development of the game itself. The same can no longer be said about SoD. Now I would like to hear the opinion of the leading players of our site on what they believe are the shortcomings of TE. Moreover, in an objective form, not "Slow on the second floor sucks" but "this is bad because 1)..2)..3)..
That is exactly why I want to talk about better/worse, because that hasn't been addressed. And it is a very important point. The premise that amateurs play SoD while professionals play TE is inherently wrong. Take two of the most famous SoD resources, and we see how great the skill of SoD players who approach the game professionally is. It is a different matter that TE was created specifically for professionals — that is a fact. But not all professionals appreciated TE, and in my opinion, one of the reasons is the aggressive implementation of TE. Relying on the "lamerism" of SoD players. At least, that's how it was here in my presence when the army of Bay-ists and Portal-ists began to actively participate in the forum. I was also at a meeting with players from Michurinsk-Tambov and heard a story that TE had already been implemented there, and many pros had the chance to evaluate it in action. But something didn't click. Apparently, they didn't like it again. But I have never encountered specific, reasoned conclusions as to why TE is worse anywhere.
Therefore, I want to move away, if possible, from subjective assessments of like/dislike, because in my humble opinion, it is more useful to choose a game based on objective assessments of better/worse.
I will break it down by the most obvious differences.
1) The second level of troops is built at the start, and the starting hero has three stacks of troops. The problem of a weak start is solved. Now weak and medium blocks can be breached because a strike stack is guaranteed. Even Pikemen and Lorelei, arriving with three stacks of special troops, don't look so doomed. Fewer rests or losses. Moreover, mastering a heavy respawn is no longer as tedious a task as it was in SoD with a Valeska without archers. Is this good or bad?
2) The building tree and construction costs in some castles have been changed. Cyclopes have returned to the game; building Mages and Liches is not as nerve-wracking an endeavor as it often was in SoD. Necromancy has been cut — the selectable starting hero has returned, usually Galtran. An excellent alternative to Shakti. Upgraded vampires have returned. A new strong hero has appeared for the Barbarian — Tiraxor, who receives an upgraded strike stack of wolves on the first day. A third hero capable of breaking a minimum consu on the first day. Good or bad?
3) The ability to disable native secondary skills — any comments?
4) A bank that allows you to borrow a missing unit of some resource or money before a decisive battle. In the first case, it saves you from a force majeure collapse; in the second, you can mobilize your army at the right moment, for example, before taking Utopia or the FB. Good or bad?
5) Reworking of the Mage Guild. Less hassle in searching for the required spells. As a rule, in FB both heroes have all the necessary lower-level spells.
6) Individual experience for the hero's troops. A very useful feature when you give your army to a noob to repel a medusa nest or even a conserve. Remember, were there unnecessary losses of a good army due to noobs? Now, with a leveled-up army, even a noob fights neutrals at a decent level.
7) Moving spells between floors and schools. The main stumbling block. As a rule, whenever TE is criticized, this exact point is mentioned. But the solution is fair; the schools are more balanced. Now Water and Fire, as the rarest leveling schools, increase in value due to DD and TP. As for Slow being on the second floor, it's not a problem; that floor is often built in the second week.
8) The army exchange button — I mean, how much more can we talk about it :D
9) A reserve 8th stack for tactician heroes. Now you don't have to drag a lackey behind him, giving him shooters before taking Utopia or a hive. The main thing is, when losing/transferring, don't forget about this backup squad!
10) The ability to disable neutral morale or an upgraded stack. Reduces the risk of losing in a "on the edge" battle. Chess-like calculation rules!
11) Hero classes. Some unpopular skills have returned to the game, which, in a certain combination, give the hero additional bonuses. Personally, I didn't feel a noticeable improvement in the game from this, so whether it's good or bad — I don't know. Probably good.
In other words, the common thread is the specific tuning of TE for human-vs-human play. The only argument against that I find myself is that neutrals have been turned into a formality. I agree that a player who can manage dangerous situations with morale is a skilled master. This mastery is much less required in TE. But again, this fits the idea of fighting a human, for why spend strength and nerves fighting a respawn if the main opponent is a human. Moreover, if there is a desire to play not only against a human, there is 8mm6 and bots that get stronger every day, specifically to complicate the situation. That's cooler than morale in a dwarf nest. Those wanting a thrill can play exactly in this mode.
And finally, a summary — TE is an evolving game, which means the skill of playing can grow along with the development of the game itself. The same can no longer be said about SoD. Now I would like to hear the opinion of the leading players of our site on what they believe are the shortcomings of TE. Moreover, in an objective form, not "Slow on the second floor sucks" but "this is bad because 1)..2)..3)..